Direction Words

If a prompt asks you state, you should:

• make sense of or assign meaning to something

• Winston-Salem

• say or write specific information

• knock on the classroom door

If a prompt asks you **state**, you should:

• make sense of or assign meaning to something

• Winston-Salem

• say or write specific information

• knock on the classroom door

If a question asks you to **analyze**, you should:

• break down into parts and examine

• write a summary

• list all the facts

• ignore the details

When asked to **compare**, you should:

• focus on differences

• focus on similarities

• focus on both similarities and differences

• focus on neither

If instructed to **contrast**, you should:

• highlight similarities

• highlight differences

• highlight both similarities and differences

• ignore the topic

If a question asks you to **summarize**, you should:

• give a detailed account

• give a brief statement of main points

• give an opinion

• give a prediction

When asked to **evaluate**, you should:

• judge the value or condition of something

• describe the appearance

• list the steps

• predict the outcome

If a prompt asks you to **illustrate**, you should:

• draw a picture

• explain with examples

• write a story

• list the facts

When asked to **interpret**, you should:

• translate into another language

• explain the meaning

• ignore the text

• rewrite the text

If a question asks you to **justify**, you should:

• provide reasons or evidence

• write a summary

• list the facts

• ignore the question